Trains • Ireland
Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail
Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) is the national railway operator of the Republic of Ireland, founded in 1987. It runs long-distance InterCity trains, the Dublin-area Commuter network and the DART electric line around Dublin Bay, from the hubs of Dublin Heuston and Dublin Connolly.
Who is Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail?
Iarnród Éireann, known in English as Irish Rail, is the national railway company of the Republic of Ireland. It was established on 2 February 1987 as a subsidiary of the state transport group Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), alongside the bus operators Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus. Its head office is at Dublin Connolly station. The company runs every passenger service on the island south of the border, as well as freight operations, and carried a record number of passengers in 2025.
The network is built around three commercial brands: InterCity for long-distance links between the main cities, Commuter for suburban trains across the greater Dublin area, and the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit), the electrified line that hugs the coast of Dublin Bay. The capital has two main stations: Dublin Heuston, serving the south and west of the country, and Dublin Connolly, facing north, the south-east and the cross-border link to Belfast.
The InterCity, DART and Commuter network and main lines
InterCity trains connect Dublin with Ireland's main cities: Dublin Heuston serves Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Tralee and Westport, while Dublin Connolly serves Sligo, Rosslare and the north. The flagship Dublin Heuston – Cork route takes around 2h30 with several departures a day. The Enterprise service, run jointly with NI Railways (Translink) in Northern Ireland, links Dublin Connolly to Belfast Lanyon Place in about 2h, crossing the border between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The DART is the backbone of Dublin's suburban transport: its electric units run along the coast from Malahide and Howth in the north to Bray and Greystones in the south, calling at the central stations of Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse. The Commuter network adds diesel services to Drogheda, Maynooth, Kildare and the Wicklow corridor, carrying hundreds of thousands of daily travellers into the capital.
Onboard services, classes and fares
On the main InterCity routes, notably Dublin – Cork with its Mark 4 coaches, passengers can choose between Standard Class and First Class (Premier Class), which offers more spacious seats, a dining car and at-seat service. Most InterCity trains provide Wi-Fi, power sockets and a bar or catering service. The modern 22000 Class diesel units operate much of the regional network.
Pricing combines several options. The cheapest InterCity tickets are limited-quota online fares, best booked in advance on irishrail.ie. For city and suburban journeys (DART, Commuter, Dublin area), the contactless Leap Card gives discounted fares compared with full cash prices. Taxsaver commuter tickets, bought through your employer, let you pay for an annual or monthly pass before tax. On baggage, Irish Rail has no check-in system: each traveller carries their own hand luggage in the dedicated spaces, within what they can carry unaided.
How to book and plan your journey
InterCity and Enterprise tickets can be booked on the official site irishrail.ie, the Irish Rail app or at station ticket offices and machines. On Gopaxo, you can compare Irish rail links with other transport options to find the best-value route. For city travel, keep a Leap Card handy: it works on the DART, Commuter trains, the Luas tram and Dublin buses, making connections easy once you arrive.
Travel guides
Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail
- Dublin
- Cork
- Galway
- Limerick
- Belfast
- Waterford
- Sligo
- Killarney
- Tralee
- Westport
